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OKLAHOMA CITY – Hospitals have seen a significant increase in violence against health care workers, prosecutors were told Thursday.
“It is kind of getting to a tipping point,” said Maggie Martin, Oklahoma Hospital Association chief legal officer.
Her remarks were made to those attending the District Attorneys Council meeting in Oklahoma City.
Over the years, there has been a 63% increase in violence against health care workers, Martin said.
About every hour, two nurses are assaulted in a hospital, Martin said.
Assault and battery against a health care worker remains a felony, she said.
While hospitals can remove someone who is a credible threat, they still have to allow access to emergency rooms, she said.
“That is where a number of incidents occur,” Martin said.
Bennett Geister, president of OKC Communities – Mercy, described a recent incident where a family member gave alcohol to a hospital patient who then assaulted staff and did widespread room and equipment damage. The patient had to be sedated, he said.